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<\/p>\nWhy A Produce Box?<\/strong> My Produce Box is an excellent example of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that is now becoming very popular, and may now be available in your area.<\/p>\n Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)<\/strong> This is of great benefit to you, the farmer, your community, the earth, farm workers, and your local economy.<\/strong> Certainly there are many other benefits too, but the main reason I enjoy supporting my local farmers is that they supply the best TASTING ingredients. It\u2019s something that many people aren\u2019t aware of as they continually dull their palates with international flavorless food.<\/p>\n Even lettuce has a distinct flavor. <\/strong> People snicker when I say that, but it\u2019s true. When you consider that all agriculture products take on the characteristics of the sun, soil, and water of where they\u2019re grown you can believe that lettuces can be as different as wines.<\/p>\n Cook Simply It\u2019s NOT More Expensive<\/strong> If your local farmer just needs to pick the ingredient and deliver it to the farmers market or to your door in the case of a produce box, it can\u2019t possibly be as expensive as internationally shipped produce. My farmer doesn\u2019t have the cost of spraying his produce with wax. He doesn\u2019t absorb the cost of the airline trip. My local farmer has much more pride in his work than the corporate produce distributor.<\/p>\n Fresh Ingredients Cook Better<\/strong> If you want to cook simply and easily, have the freshest ingredients<\/strong> with the most nutritional value, and support your local community, explore the options of having fresh produce delivered to your door from your local farmer. You\u2019ll enjoy food more.<\/p>\n See the video where Chef Todd receives his mystery produce box.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nGrowing your own fresh vegetables can be fun and rewarding. I think it\u2019s a big pain in the neck. The second best thing is going to your local farmers market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown in your community by your local farmer. However, I\u2019ve discovered the next best thing to THAT! It\u2019s a produce box that is delivered to my front door each week.<\/p>\n
\nCSA is a way for the farmer to cooperate directly with his customers, as we all agree to purchase whatever is freshest and best from his farm this week. Each week\u2019s box will contain different items based on the local conditions, not the national conditions and price futures; you work directly with the farm and farmer.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Besides having the best ingredients with the most nutritional quality and flavor,<\/strong> I love my weekly produce box because of the serendipity of opening the box. I don\u2019t know what surprises I\u2019ll find, but I\u2019m always up to the challenge of being ready to cook whatever is in the box. I don\u2019t try to over-complicate the basic fruits and vegetables within. I want to retain as much flavor and nutrition as possible, and this means I cook simply and easily using the best ingredients.<\/p>\n
\nThe most common misconception about your local farmers market or CSA is that fresh ingredients are more expensive. Yes, they\u2019re more expensive calorie-for-calorie than a microwavable meal with a mile-long ingredient list. But we\u2019re not comparing garbage to apples.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s a fact. A fresher item is easier to cook than one that is falsely ripe. Tomatoes that are picked at a green color and then gassed to make them red for the long cross-country trip to your market are harder to cook than your local farm-fresh variety that was allowed to ripen on the vine.<\/p>\n